John Lucas' Blog

The lords of the real time strategy (RTS) genre, Ensemble Studios, learned last September that daddy Microsoft was breaking up the dynasty. All this happened in the midst of producing the RTS spinoff of the XBox platform's premiere franchise in the best-selling Halo Wars. Neither past success on the PC platform with the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology series nor eventual new success with Halo Wars becoming the most successful RTS game in history had no effect in reversing this questionable shutdown. Ensemble Studios co-founder Bruce Shelley said his farewells as the staff packed their belongings; the Halo Wars end credits showed the staff's remorse as they thanked their loved ones; and the tight-knit ensemble splintered into 3 new development houses called Robot Entertainment, Bonfire Studios, and Windstorm Studios.

Now comes the 4th splinter as ex-Ensemble staff emerge a new game studio with an adaptation of a graphic novel for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. Check it out...

Cue the 'It Prints Money' pics. Nintendo's still on hot white fire due to the WiiDS Phenomenon. Even the world-spanning recession couldn't stop it! The company has just released its report for the total fiscal year beginning April 1, 2008 and ending March 31, 2009 (also known as the 2009 fiscal year). There are so many factoids and numerals in this report that I think it's better to put 'em all together in one neat group. Yen and U.S. Dollar parallels follow...

Who said that the Revolution wouldn't be televised? Forget about televised. You might as well say telegraphed. Nintendo's Wii controller has had people wondering when (not if) the other shoe was going to drop ever since it captured the imagination of the buying public over 3 years ago in videogaming conventions across the world. When would Microsoft and Sony respond to the new standard maker? Sony offered the Sixaxis early on but this was not enough to shake the Wiimote's popularity. Meanwhile, Microsoft seemed content using the evolution of the 25 year old standard began by the Nintendo Entertainment System not visibly worried about the impact the Wiimote was having in the marketplace. But as the Wii's popularity exceeded the XBox 360's own in the 360's best-performing region, the U.S.A., the speculation became pronounced that Microsoft was preparing a counter for Nintendo's record-selling home console.

But a new rumor says to forget about your Newtons. You prepared for a full-bodied motioning experience? Read it some more...

Everybody's doin' the brand new dance, nooow. Come on baby. Do controller-motion! I know you'll get to like it if you give it a chance, nooow. Come on baby. Do controller-motion! The Revolution is still in progress, never forget, and Wii's competitors are feeling the pressure in the '09. Rumors about Sony and Microsoft offering their own rebuttal to Nintendo's motion-control argument have been going on even before the 3 competitors played on the same 7th generation field. In fact, Sony's Sixaxis (now Dual Shock 3) was already offered as a response to Nintendo's game-changing controller before the PlayStation 3 was released. However, the optional integration of Sixaxis' motion-sensing abilities to the platform, the traditional form factor of the controller along with an inability to match the breadth of Wiimote's motion-sensing didn't allow Sony's controller for the PS3 to make any waves on this waterfront.

But now the rumors rumble and ruminate all over again about a new definitive even Wiimote-like motion-sensing controller from Sony taking the stage a month from now at E3 2009, the 2009 edition of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Details to follow...